Despite Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura’s high profile, the torch relay route won’t be changed. Ventura has protested that the route won’t be going through Minnesota and said, “we’re going to do what we can to change the route”.
But Salt Lake Organizing Committee officials said they have had discussions with the Governor’s office and despite the fact the torch will pass within a few hours of the state as it winds its way through Wisconsin, there will be no detour.
Lindsay Rowles, spokesperson for the Olympic torch relay said, “we are not, will not, be changing the route. We have 11,500 torchbearers and we are going to 46 states. To change the route now would affect the people already selected to carry the torch. We tried, we really tried. We wanted to go through all 50 states but time and budget restrictions just wouldn’t allow it”.
Rowles also pointed out that the relay route has been in place for two years and that the 46 states it will pass through are four more than the path taken during the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Every state will be represented on the relay with 53 torchbearers coming from Minnesota.
